Radiohead singer Thom Yorke walked offstage after being yelled at by a pro-Palestinian protester during his show, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Friday.
The singer was performing in Melbourne Wednesday night when a man in the crowd shouted about the “Israeli genocide in Gaza” in a video shared to X/ Twitter.
Thom Yorke of @radiohead responding to someone protesting collective punishment of Palestinians (that Radiohead routinely white washes) with collective punishment of thousands of his fans. Walking off stage blaming one protestor. pic.twitter.com/TntYu3cbpq
— Rafael Shimunov ✡️ (@rafaelshimunov) October 30, 2024
Yorke didn’t ignore the heckler; instead, he called him a coward and dared him to come on stage, as the video showed.
He went on to put down his guitar and walked off stage for a few minutes, returning moments later to play a final song.
No support for protestor
The JC quoted an audience member saying the crowd didn’t support the protester.
“He was escorted away by security. He then continued to engage with people outside the venue as well,” she said.
Yorke later shared a statement to X saying that his band has played in Israel for over 20 years, despite pressure from the BDS movement to boycott Israel.
“Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government,” the singer wrote.
“We don't endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America. Music, art, and academia are about crossing borders, not building them.”